It’s hard to tell who drives the racist right further over the edge — Barack Obama or John McCain. The prospect of a liberal black man as president makes them all twitchy and itchy, and there’s nothing they’d like to do more than vote against him. But then they’d have to vote for a phony like McCain, who doesn’t even pass their sniff test.

While Barack Obama has been subject to a whispering campaign, those whispers begin somewhere as shouts — and that somewhere is in places like the CCC’s annual meeting.

"There’s an election coming up, and no matter whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, you better pay attention to what’s going on," Bishop says at the conclusion of his remarks. At this, the crowd murmurs. "We got a young man running for president. Don’t make no difference whether he’s black, white or yellow. But I have a problem with his ideology, with the things he believes in. Obama for president. I can’t even say that. This is a great turning point. ‘Mohammed’ Obama, is that right?"

"Hussein," the crowd calls out.

"That is something we just can’t afford in this country," Bishop says. "My grandkids can’t afford it. If you care about your grandkids’ rights, then this is the election. If the Hispanics and the blacks get together, ladies and gentlemen, we’ll do what we’re told. Now I know that McCain isn’t as conservative as we’d like –"

"He isn’t a conservative at all!" someone yells.

"You got that right!" adds another.

"But he can be our salvation," continues Bishop, clearly upset at the interruption.

"It’s time for you to stop talking," shouts an angry voice.

By now Bishop is livid. "Well, don’t come crying to me when you get your tails beat and have to say, ‘Yessuh, Mr. Obama.’"

All kinds of meaty takeaways in that:

– The far right, as I’ve observed previously, acts as a kind of echo chamber for the mainstream right where talking points, ideas, and agendas are tested out and gradually shaped. We’ve already been hearing the "Muslim Obama" crap from a large number of ostensibly mainstream right-wingers, so it’s just about a dead certainty the volume and intensity of it will rise as Election Day nears.

– What these guys are really scared of is being treated by black people in exactly the same way they have treated them ("Yessuh, Mr. Obama") if/when economic and social positions shift. (This is, incidentally, an old motif that dates back to the lynching-era hysteria about blacks raping white women when, in reality, white men raping black women was a commonplace, both before and after slavery.) And that is the chief anxiety of these men — that their own mistreatment of their fellow humans will come back to haunt them. As it happens, this is in fact a powerful appeal across many sectors of white society. So expect to hear strands of it woven into the GOP’s attacks on Obama.

– These guys really just can’t stomach McCain, mostly because he fails their "purity" tests. A lot of them feel sold down the river by Bush — though almost certainly this is not because Bush wasn’t conservative enough, but because he was incompetent and his presidency a disaster. McCain, in these people’s eyes, isn’t a true "conservative" — particularly not on the all-important right-wing hysterical issue du jour, immigration. And there’s a reason for that.

I have a hard time reallly understanding these folks. I grew up in Texas in the mid-50s to mid-60s. Got out and have NEVER gone back. The patina of Christianity with the undercurrent of raw hatred just made me squeamish! I think the church has much to do with the persistence of such loathesome racism. And i find that thoroughly disheartening.

Just too much to read all at once. Our paper had a discussion about the outburst of this stuff with more referral to the Southern Poverty Law Clinic, all the hate language. One reference was to a guy’s claim of losing “my” country. How did it get to be his? Yuk. Thank you for getting this out here. I don’t want to become desensitized to this stuff; I guess I do feel a repugnant need to know what is going on.

Because we’re having a slow start, I’m going to chat on. My neo-con twin brother (and, yes, I’ve told him he’s on FDL whether he likes it or not) is a truly kind and generous person……on the one-to-one. But he’s riddled with that loathesome undercurrent. I recall him calling me all a’twitter one afternoon to ‘let’ me know what Barack’s middle name was. He is convinced that Obama is a secret Muslim. Makes no sense to me. Fortunately, my neo-con twin brother (I often accidently type ‘my bother’) does not vote. I do not encourage him to register!

One reference was to a guy’s claim of losing “my” country. How did it get to be his?

He assumes that all his problems are based on some brown people working to keep him down he canot accept blame for his own failure’s however he s also convinced that he is superior to brown people and deserves a higher place in society.
Cognitive Dissonance

There’s a part of me that really wants to shut it out, as I don’t need to encounter it in my life at all. But it exists. And we must expose it, as Dave has done so well for many years. Sunlight and exposure are its worst enemies.

All good-hearted people are shocked by such behaviors and views, and we must continue to ensure that others like us know about this hatred among us. It is vile, and it must be exposed.

You know, I got out of TX for 25 years and came back because my parents wouldn’t leave. When they do, I’d like to go back to the Portland, Oregon area. I really liked that part of the Country, but then again, How can Austin ever change if we all leave? I have quite a few friends here & we are changing the political landscape!

Yet Obama much like Clinton before him wants to throw us aside to get Center Dem votes when these people HATE HIM!
And now Obama is changing his tune on Abortion forget us Lefties who supported him changing his mind on that issue should give the Hilary people every reason to stay home.
I wonder how Obama’s fundraising is going it seems like lots of people are swearing not to give to Obama because of FISA.

Carry on! I’ve experienced the reality of discrimination as a “girl” — I grew up when girls could be teachers, secretaries or nurses (and I did, indeed, become a teacher……lo these years and years later, I’m a lawyer —- take that, discrimators!) But the rawest discrimination I’ve ever felt was as a Catholic girl in Houston, TX in the late ’50s. Yikes. Those Baptists sure can look down their non-ethnic nose! And, jeez, I’m just the product of norther-Europeans coming over in the late 1800’s — darker skinned from the German side. Oh, well.

Part of the coverage today on Helms was his opposition to the Civil Right legislation calling it something like the worst thing ever. What narcissism and cruelty. But it is not many years since it was very acceptable to have that view. Like being glad that MLK was shot. A litany of horror. I think it is that weird double think of knowing that stuff/hate is out there, at the same not no really believing so. Kind like when something is so repulsive you really have to turn your eyes.

“But he can be our salvation,” continues Bishop, clearly upset at the interruption.

“It’s time for you to stop talking,” shouts an angry voice.

My bold do we have any numbers on the Race Zombies how many of them are there? Are they the entire 30%er base or are there moderate GOPers who we could pull away from them?
Will the race Zombies stay home especially if it seems that Obama is going to win in a landslide?

Not just Texas. Any place where you have poor (or poorly educated) people gets like this. I have relatives in Arkansas who are about one step up from this. (Fortunately, they don’t have my e-mail.) The ones in PA have learned not to send conservative chain letters to me, becasue I return them with corrections and comments – to everyone with an address attached.

No. All my great-grandparents came directly to California when immigrating. I spent my first 11 years in the Bay Area …. and then my years in the gulag of south TX. I’ve lived all over the country (’cept east coast) and came back to CA 13 years ago. It’s a different California these days, but I live by the ocean so I can deal with anything!

Small donors show that he is popular with the people to loose the small donors would give McCain more hope than McCain raising the same amount of money as Obama.
Obama is only getting the Corporate cash because the Corporations think that Obama will win by a landslide and that to give to McCain would be a waste of money.
But name one President who has won without the support of their base?
Obama is getting really close to finding out.

Absolutely. My years in the south showed me that. The loudmouths spouting their ugliness were generally uneducated and worried about losing whatever status they thought they had. The educated and well-to-do were just as nasty … they just did it with better cover……and better shoes.

i haven’t followed much of the polls, etc and don’t have a good handle on the mcain/obama race, or even that much on previous presidential races. so i don’t know what affect running away from the base will have on obama.

my guess is that 1) he doesn’t consider us his base and 2) he has calculated that he needs neither our votes nor our money nor our volunteer time. he has lots of other sources of support.

The crazy thing is that these people not only portray themselves as true-blue, patriotic Americans representing real “Americanness” — they genuinely see themselves that way. It’s kind of like Bizarro World.

The Newshour had a short discussion on this. One view of his really needing his base, and that’s what he is about right now. Versus the view that part of his strength has been the excitement that he is different, new, so he really cannot appear to be merely calculating.

My Sister was one of the breakthrough women here in the legal profession, by the same token it was a time when people had to hire women. However, anyone here will readily admit she made it to where she (partner in one of Austin’s and by extension Texas’ most powerful firms) is by merit.

She is pretty much a rock ribbed R because of her tax bracket, but my Niece inform me she and her major dollar S.OP. are going to vote for Obama. To say I am stunned is like a massive understatement…

it was a shock to me when, after 911 and the normally hidden racism was for a time socially acceptable, i saw racism unmasked among people who were self identified liberal democrats and highly educated (even professors at a local university).

Yep, I’m counting on the youth. My own kids had such different experiences from mine. It’s amazing — and exciting and heartening. They just don’t seem to have that nasty undercurrent that was so detrimental. They cannot, for example, even IMAGINE that there were water fountains labeled ‘white’ and ‘colored.’ And when my sibs and I were moved to Houston in 1956, we thought we’d get brightly colored water if we chose that fountain! Took us some time to get with the program!

9/11 did change things normally they keep their ideas quiet because they don’t like to attract attention its well.. vulgar/common. I agree they are still racists but under normal conditions they are more discrete.

In some confessional sort of way, I feel almost the same way on the other side. When I hear people defend Bush or rant against providing health care, my set point is at ballistic. I cannot think of a decent this Bush has done, yet there are folks still defending the war. I do not like the way I feel, respond to what I’m seeing around me. That doesn’t sound like a great frame of patient, for sure.

One thing I’ve noticed is that while black Americans’ patriotism is often questioned, the patriotism of white Southerners like the CCCers is almost never questioned.

Another thing is how America’s de facto state religion, at least as depicted in the media, stopped being mainstream Protestantism sometime around 1977, with the media-fueled rise of bigoted Southern Fundie and/or Fundie-style preachers like Bob Jones, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and James Dobson.

When my grandparents’ group were young — we need to remember! — they all had to change their names to “acceptable” American variations since they were being outed as Krauts and Shanty Irish and such. But they learned to assimilate and all did well and were worthy citizens and happy (enough) people. I think some of the problem for some (I think this needs MUCH more study) muslims do not assimilate well. Some hispanics do not assimilate well. I think many Americans are offended when immigrants don’t want to meld in the melting pot. That, of course, does not speak to african-americans … most of whose families have been here far longer than mine.

Thats good 3% less votes in red districts across the country could really flip the map and Congressional redistricting time is coming up I wonder how many red districts will flip?
Tom Delay carved his red district into pieces so that the GOP could have a few more red districts with 3% lower voter turnout I wonder if they will all flip.
So much for Karl Rove’s permanent GOP majority, unless Obama messes up this election more.

Right you are. We hardly knew the religion of Truman and Eisenhower. And around the date you are talking about the So Baptist Convention went into its major struggle with the very conservative, fundamental voice. So all that cultural stuff got into the political debate. Ex. the Houston REpub convention came out of that. All that after the struggle of JFK to keep religion out of the debate.

Well, the evidence certainly suggests that the current wave of Latino immigration is working hard to assimilate. ESL courses are in huge demand.

When an immigration wave is as large as the current, there is a natural tendency towards insularity, especially when the immigrants are poorly educated to begin with. I’m reminded of Japanese immigrants’ difficulties with the language early last century and how it produced claims that “they don’t want to assimilate.” But history has demonstrated that over time, especially generationally, the assimilation does occur, and there’s no indication it won’t with Latinos.

I’d be interested in reading more of your thinking on this as it develops. So much to learn about this amazing country and its very interesting people. My neo-con twin brother has never shown me any evidence of racism in his daily life with real people….but i know he’s got the fungus. My neo-con twin brother happily hired a gay guy as an assistant because the guy was good…..and my brother would have poked anyone who said a bad word about him…..but he is completely anti gay marriage. You know, that kind of thing. Deep seated. So nonsensical. A grandfather (Danish) who got enough of his own put downs for not being American enough would roll over if he knew that my daughter married an EyeTalian! You gotta laugh at some of it (as long as no one is carrying!) because it’s so senseless.

I sure understand what you are saying though. We had been stationed overseas and when we came back we set out on a cross country cruise. Living on a base in Okinawa in the Fifties and prior to that having been raised in a very sheltered environment in Ohio, my Mother was very young and Father was in Korea, I grew up in a desegregated environmernt.

My first encounter with the reality of overt racism involved a restroom at service station, either in Mississippi or Alabama. We had been traveling a long time and I had to relieve myself, desperately. When we stopped at this gleaming service station I rushed to a door labeled “Private #1″, understanding that term, I ran to the next door which read “Private #2″, finally the next door read “Restroom”. This was the worst facility I had ever seen. It was filthy, the sink was stopped up, the TP was literally hanging on a coathanger, no lock on the door. I did my business and as I walked back to our car a man saw me. He put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Oh no Son, you don’t go there, that’s for N*****s!” Totally blew my Sixth Grade mind and left an indelible imprint on it, since until that time I had never even been aware of discrimination! My Parents had to explain to me what was going on.

I think the entire appeal for invading Iraq was predicated on creating an Arab bogeyman. Simply the fact that Saddam was not involved with Al Qaeda in the least tells us that we went to war against a stereotype.

Um! Been there. Everyone who doesn’t have a clue ought to have such an experience just to get the drift. I actually think that had I not been moved to TX in my youth I’d have no idea today what racism is really about. I just wouldn’t get it.

Being passionate about ending war, about healthcare and the rights of others whether its Civil Right or FISA is nothing to worry about.
Moderate GOPers are not patient they just hate making a scene.
GOP Race Zombies are passionate about denying their own failure’s and finding someone else to blame they are just Moderate GOPers who are at the end of their rope mentally more than materially they need an enemy, they need to hate, there is a black space inside their minds that is an echo chamber for Cognitive Dissonance, they are afraid of the the dark so they never confront this black space, its easier instead to hate.

Your so right. I have some very highly educated wealthy friends that are race haters. They just dress it up better. It’s really sad. Most of the time these folks are almost human but on race issues they just fall apart.

David, I respect your opinion, so I would be interested in knowing more about your thinking on this. I think we went to occupy (I refuse the term ‘war’) Iraq for oil and to shock-and-awe the mideast. We needed an Arab bogeyman why?

good clip – too bad though it misses the presidential chimp-smirk as these people are being hauled away. That smirk broke outta the chimp’s face way too many to times to think that he was having anything other than a whole bunch of fun.

A smirk like that, late at night in a bar, would get your face re-arranged. But in this case, it means that you’re the fucking president of the United States, bitchez…

And since it really was about the oil that we think we deserve, especially since those people do not know how to live like us. The beginning of the war has become so clear now that people are talking. At the beginning I could never make sense in my head why we needed to go to war; the inspectors were still going in. Talk about head exploding. In a civil law suit, we would owe them damages til the end of time, yet we expected candy and flowers. How can we show our face? And just today Condi saying how this war was a good idea and she’s so proud to be a part…..Sounds like she is putting up her own defense. If McC should win, can we even imagine 4 more years and what that will say about us.

Y’all need a neo-con twin brother! He knew that it was all about oil and about creating a ‘democracy’ in the mideast for the protection of Israel and the rest of us. He knew it wasn’t about WMD. It was probably also about BabyBush kicking Saddam’s ass for making DaddyBush look weak. So simple, really.

RevDeb, i’ve been down — I guess the whole site was? In case you check back, yes, he supported the war for the reasons that neo-cons do. He believed that the Bushites would create a democracy in Iraq and that we would get lots of oil and that Israel would be protected by some moderation in the mideast. They believe what they believe. BushBoy will forever believe he had balls enough (more certainly than his father — don’t know about his mother) to take on Saddam. He will never, ever, understand the damage he has done. He is just that stupid, narcissistic and dangerous. I didn’t vote for him, but enough americans did. Such a shame.

Oil is just a major cog in the bigger picture of what the war was about, which was essentially about asserting the American power hegemony. At least, that is what I wrote five years ago, and it’s still my assessment.